MVT Celebrates Women’s History Month with Spotlight on Mary Church Terrell, a Renowned Civil Rights Activist with Ties to Mount Vernon Triangle
Friday March 20, 2026
We continue our Women’s History Month celebrations this week by taking taking a look into the past at Mary Church Terrell: a monumental civil rights activist, educator, journalist, and the first Black woman to serve on District of Columbia’s Board of Education. Among her other numerous accomplishments, Mary Church Terrell has ties to Mount Vernon Triangle from her time serving as a faculty member in the Latin Department at M Street High School, now Dunbar High School, from 1887-1891.
Born in Memphis Tennessee in 1863, Mary Church Terrell’s parents were former slaves who both owned successful businesses leading to her father becoming one of the South’s first African American millionaires. According to a write-up by the National Women’s History Museum, it was her parent’s “affluence and belief in the importance of education [that] enabled Terrell to attend the Antioch College laboratory school in Ohio, and later Oberlin College, where she earned both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees”. Shortly after graduating, she moved to Washington, DC to teach at M Street High School (now Dunbar), which moved into what is now known as Perry School located at 128 M Street NW in 1891. M Street High School boasts the groundbreaking legacy of being America’s first public school for Black students. DC Preservation League included M Street High School in its DC Historic Sites project stating, “Under the visionary leadership of its principals, M Street High School defied societal norms and provided a rigorous curriculum that surpassed the offerings of many white schools. The curriculum was meticulously organized into tracks – academic, scientific, technical and business – offering a diverse array of subjects. M Street High School’s graduates were not merely students; they were pioneers, earning spots in leading colleges and universities across the nation despite the systemic challenges of segregation.” Today the Perry School Community Services Center, Inc. continues the legacy of its early instructors by addressing “issues of chronic poverty in the North Capitol Street area of Washington, D.C. providing services in youth development, economic empowerment and social services”. Learn more about the mission and work at perryschool.org.
Mary Church Terrell’s time at M Street High School is just one moment in a lifetime of activism, thought leadership, and dedication to the betterment of society. We encourage you to pursue the additional reading section below to learn more about Mary Church Terrell’s significant contributions to the civil rights and suffragist movements.
Additional Reading:
“Because of Her Story: Activist and Suffragist Mary Church Terrell“, National Museum of African American History & Culture
“1-on1: Expert highlights Mary Church Terrell’s role in civil rights, education in DC”, WJLA 7News Staff, February 13, 2025
“Mary Church Terrell“, Debra Michaels, Ph.D., 2017
“M Street High School (Perry School)” DC Historic Sites, a project by DC Preservation League
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